Article stacking and transfer mechanism



May 15, 1951 E. J. RAPP 2,552,867

ARTICLE STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

May 15, 1951 E. J. RAPP ARTICLE STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1, 1945 l INVENTOR. BY [,QrZ M% w M m w My f M, w L M m E5 Wm.

E. J. RAPP ARTICLE STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM May 15, 1951 Flled Aug 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 E. J. RAPP ARTICLE STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM 3% g 2 j o o 2 .2 f

[Ill llpllllllrllllll May 15, 1951 Filed Aug. 1, 1945 www E. J. RAPP ARTICLE STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM May 15, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet L5 Filed Aug. 1, 1945 m M E J 6 W 5 I CZZZz/i Patented May 15, 1951 ARTICLE ,STACKING AND TRANSFER MEQHANIM Earl}; Rapp, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Lynch Corporation, a corporation of Indiana Applica ion Au u t 1945, s rial some 6- Claims. (01. 19s-24-) This invention relates to a cartoning machine for butter and the like, and particularly to the mechanism for stacking wrapped bars of butter, such as quarter-pound size, so that two prints overlie two other prints for eartoning.

One object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for stacking the prints of butter two high and two wide comprising an intermittently operable conveyor and a ram which elevates the first two prints so that the next two can be fed to a position under them, and then elevates all four prints to a position where they may be pushed by another ram into the cartoning mechanism.

Another object is to provide a simple means to operate the conveyor and the rams in timed re.- lation to each other so that the desirable arrangement of stacking is accomplished with a minimum of parts, the design of which is such that they are substantially foolproof in operation.

More particularly, it is my object to provide an article stacking mechanism which can be used for butter or any commodity, and which has an intermittently operable conveyor which conveys four prints of butter together so that two of them are positioned in a vertical rain, whereupon the conveyor stops when the ram raises, and then two more may be positioned in the ram, whereupon the conveyor again stops while the ram raises the four prints of butter to a position for discharge by another. ram", the first ram then lowering to an initial position and the conveyor operating to bring four more prints of butter to a position for depositing on thefirst ram.

With these and other objects in view, my in-f vention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts, of my machine whereby the ob ects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a butter print.- ing, wrapping and cartoning machine including my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the machine indicated by the bracket 2 adjacent Fig. 1 and showing the gear mechanism for operating the conveyor;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3, showing the parts in one position;

Figs. 5 and 6 are similar sectional views of a portion of Fig. 4, showing the parts in two other successive positions;

Fig. '7 is a sectional View on the line "l'! of Fig. 6; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are vertical sectional views showing, respectively, a vertical ra n-operating mechanism' and a horizontal ram-operating mecharenc num ra s'fmm l to 99. o spe id O th acc mpanyi g drawings I ha e u th reference. numeral ID to indicate a pair of sup-.. po t ng asti gs r av transm s o o ng '2- The tiiansmission housing l2 has a portion 14.

w i e ten s orw rdly a d minat s n a ou ng. i6- T-he housing L6 sup o t a par ah m t r pi g m hanism whi h is de cr bed deta l n he op nd ns a p icati n f rold 4R oon and my el Ser a o- 7 l d May .5. t e only di ference be ng hat in the pr sent machine there is only one row of prints, formed n the ach n an i suing ef om, wh re the -c mm ppl at on a ma h ne s h wn i9 formi g a d wrap ing tw row o nrin s- 7 Since ma e th .de ailse th p i t ns 11s invention, I shall pefer briefly to only .aiew of hem and. th ou hout the draw ngs ill use ei- Hat-is i iecosendins pplication, for

enee thereto for any of the details which are mitted rom the Presen pecification h sence nume a 9 an up wi be us d i nectiqn with the pre cntmvee ign 1 61 seesli ent he frame I is, a second frame 8. or upp rt n east es A .0 s shown air or a. ms the entir machine he d sclosed. n the .conending applique.

tisinab ve re e d to is a sha Md partic larly. QldI'iVI-n J9 .Whichcorresponds tothe heit 5 .6 n the .conending application), jouna aled the frame 1| 8, which shaft operates :the miQGl-ianism of .my present invention.

A :butter hopper 1:54 is provided to receive :but-

ter or Similar material it!) be formed into prints at a print iormingdie :224. lihe prints are then Wrappfid with parchment from a .roll 31!] by the mecharusm mounted above the housing 16, the prints, after being wrapped, being discharged onto a platform 9M (see Fig. 3). The platform guides the wrapped prints to pai of .g n y r hain 902, the prints being pushed onto the chain by a ram 324 of the wrapping mechanism in groups .of four. Each group of four is then conveyed by projections 90% so that they remain in groups oi four, asshowninFigsr2 and 4,

The vey ai s extend a und drive sprockets $64 and idler sprockets 905 and M16,

' There are two of the sprockets 3116 to take slack in the chains, and for this purpose they are journaledon arms 99] which may b clamped ar u qius sd pos io s on a stationary o 9&8 sup ort by a b ac eta The. br cket is unp ed i r id r lation to th hous n 8 a d, .toe her cross-bar 910 supmltts chain guide bars 9. Between the chains .Q QZ

a plate all? is supported byth bracke i 'l and the t ess-b r 8H!- Theg laie Si a shaft 913 having thereon a gear 9l4 meshing with another gear 9I5. The gear M is secured to a sprocket 9I6 which is connected by achain M an to a sprocket 91a. The sprocket 91a is mounted on a shaft 9l9, and also on this shaft is mounted a gear 929 having a pair of dwells 921 and 922. An idler sprocket 923 isprovided for taking up slack in the chain 911.

Mounted on the main shaft 999 is a gear 924 having a pair of dwells 925 and 926 with aseries ofteeth 921 and 928 between the dwells.

Adjacentthe drive sprocket 994 (see Fig. 4) is. a vertical ram R having a pair of side plates 929 and 939, a bottom plate 93!, and on the sidejplates a pair of ribs 932 and 933. The ram R. is connected by a link 934 to a slide 935 which is slidably guided in a, vertical guide 936. The slide 935 is connected by a link 931 with an arm 938' mounted on a rock shaft 939 (see Fig. 2). A second arm 949 on the'rock shaft 939 is connected by a link 94I with a yoke 942 which slides on a guide block 943 on the main shaft 999. The yoke 942 carries a roller 944 which travels in a cam slot of a cam C. The cam groove has a low dwell section 945, a first riser section 946, an intermediate dwell section 941, a second riser portion 943, a high dwell section 949, and a drop section 959, the purpose of each of which will hereinafter be described.

Adjacent the ram R is a stationary support 614 having a pair of side plates 615 extending upwardly therefrom. The support 614 has a Four prints of butter are adapted to be pushed across the'horizontal wall 614 by a horizontal ram 669 as it moves toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 6, the four prints then being cartoned in the mechanism mounted on the frame 13 as disclosed in the copending application above mentioned, the present machine,

however, being for cartoning one row of-prints Practical operation "After the prints of butter are deposited on the plate 9 by the ram 324, four at a time, asshown in Fig. 4, the" chains 992 advance so that one 'of their projections 993 engages the four prints and move them forward in the machine or to the right in Fig. 4. The conveyor has just stopped. with four of the prints, numbered I, 2, 3 and 4, in the position illustrated at the right-hand side of the'figure. The prints l and 2 have passed under a hold-down bar 951.

and the prints 3 and 4 are still under the holddown bar. The prints I and 2 have also been slid onto the ribs 932 and 933 and stopped approximately against support 614 The prints and 2 are r I now supported by the ribs so that they may be lifted, as to the posigasses tion shown in Fig. 5, by elevation of the ram 93l from the Fig. 4 to the Fig. 5 position. This occurs while the cam C (Fig. 8). rotates clockwise through the distance 946, representing the first riser of the cam groove. At the same time, the gear 924 (Fig. 2) is rotating clockwise with its dwell 925 in contact with the dwell 92I of the gear 929. Thus the conveyor is held stationary while the 'ram is being elevated, and after elevation to "the Fig. 5 position the teeth 921 of the gear 924 mesh with teeth 929 of the gear 929 between the dwells 92l and 922 for advancing the conveyor to the position of Fig. 5. This causes prints 3 and 4 to slide onto the ram 93] under the prints l and 2 and below the ribs 932 and 933, as illustrated.

By this time the dwell 926 of the gear 924 is in contact with the dwell 922 of the gear 929, thus holding the conveyor stationary again for a somewhat longer period represented by the dwell 926 being longer than the dwell 925, and during which time the horizontal ram 669 is pushed toward the right in Fig. 6. for pushing all four prints, l, 2, 3 and 4, across the horizontal wall 614 of the support 614 and effecting the cartoning operation as disclosed in the copending application. When the prints l, 2,3 and 4 are almost completely on the wall 614 the ram 93l drops from the Fig. 6 position to the Fig. 4 position. The horizontal'ram 669 is moved, forwardly by the roller 953 (Fig. 9) traversing the g drop portion 956 of the cam o' and the roller 944 ,vertical wall 614 and a horizontal wall 614'.

the vertical wall 314 of the (Fig. 8) traversing the'drop portion 959 of the cam C, the intermediate dwell portion 941, the

second riser portion 948 and the high dwell por' tion 949'having been previously traversed by the roller 944 for causing the dwell of the ram 93i in the Fig. 5 position and then the rising of the ram to the Fig. 6 position and the dwelling of the ram at this position Whilethe horizontal ram plate 669 moves the four prints .onto the support 614. The dwell portion 955 of the cam C'in Fig. 9 holds the ram plate 669 in the position of Fig. 2 for the time period during which the vertical ram 931 has the four prints stacked thereon and is elevated to the proper position, as in Fig. 6, for

the horizontal ram plate to push them intothe' cartoning mechanism. In the cartoning mechanism the four prints are cartoned, as already suggested, and the cartoned prints are fed out on a discharge conveyor 819.

My stacking mechanism is obviously simple of construction and operation, and the parts thereof are suitably timed so as to efficiently stack four prints of butter or other commodities so that they can be cartoned in the stacked position. Although I have described the mechanism as adaptable for four articles in a 2 x 2 stack, it can obviously be designed for other arrangements, such as 3 x 2, 3 x 13, etc. Changes of this character and others as well may be made Without departing from the real spirit and purpose ofmy invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the character disclosed, a vertically movable ram, a vertical wall adjacent the front side of said ram, a horizontal wall adjacent the top of said vertical Wall, a conveyor adjacent the rear side of said rain for conveying a plurality of articles onto the ram to a position adjacent said vertical wall, said ram having sup- I porting ribs to receive a plurality of such articles at one elevation, means to raise said ram, said conveyor being operable to move another plurality of articles onto said ram in stacked relation to the first articles, means for further raising said ram to a position past said vertical wall with the top of the ram substantially aligned with said horizontal wall, and a second ram for moving all of said articles from said ram onto said horizontal wall.

2. In a machine of the character disclosed, a vertically movable ram, a conveyor adjacent said ram, said ram having supporting ribs to receive a plurality of such articles at one elevation, and a platform below said supporting ribs to receive a plurality of such articles at another elevation, means to raise said ram, said conveyor being operable to move a plurality of articles onto said ribs and another plurality of articles onto said platform, and means for simultaneously moving all of said articles from said ribs and platform.

3. In a machine of the character disclosed, a vertically movable ram, a vertical wall adiacent the front side of said ram, a horizontal wall at the top of said vertical wall, a conveyor adiacent the rear side of said ram for conveying a plurality of articles onto the ram, said ram having a first means to receive said plurality of articles at one elevation, means to change the elevation of the ram, said conveyor being operable move another plurality of articles onto said ram, said ram having a second means to receive said second plurality of articles in stacked relation to the first plurality, means for further changing the elevation of said ram so that said articles are in a position past said vertical wall, and means for moving all of said articles from said first and second means of said ram and onto said horizontal wall.

4. Print stacking mechanism comp *ising a verticall movable elevator having upper and lower shelves for supporting pluralities of prints, conveyor means having one end terminating immediately adjacent a first side of said elevator and capable of transferring pluralities of prints in a horizontal direction onto said shelves when said shelves are aligned with said conveyor means, a stack supporting member closely spaced from a second side of said elevator and disposed at a higher level than conveyor means, ram means movable horizontally to displace prints transferred to said upper shelf onto prints transferred to said lower shelf and to displace all said prints onto said supporting member in contacting stacked formation when lower shelf is aligned with said supporting member, and actuating means for said conveyor means, said elevator and said ram means for initially aligning said shelves with said conveyor means, operating said conveyor means for transferring pluralities of prints from said conveyor means to said shelves aligned with said conveyor means, raising said elevator to align said lower shelf with said stack supporting member, and moving said ram to displace the prints transferred to said upper shelf onto the prints transferred to said lower shelf and also to displace all said prints onto said supporting member in. contacting stacked formation when said lower shelf has been aligned with said supporting member.

5. Print stacking mechanism comprising a vertically movable elevator having upper and lower shelves for supporting pluralities of prints, a conveyor having one end terminating immediately adjacent a first side of said elevator and capable of transferring pluralities of prints in a horizontal direction onto said shelves when said shelves are successively aligned with said conveyor, a stack supporting member closely spaced from a second side of said elevator disposed at a higher level than said conveyor, a ram movable in a horizontal direction to displace pluralities of prints from said shelves onto said supporting member in contacting stacked formation when said lower shelf is aligned with said supporting member, and actuating means for said conveyor, said elevator and said ram for initially aligning said upper shelf with said conveyor, operating said conveyor for transferring a plurality of prints from said conveyor to said upper shelf aligned with said conveyor, raising said elevator to align said lower shelf with said conveyor, again operating said conveyor for transferring a plurality of prints from said conveyor to said lower shelf aligned with said conveyor, raising said elevator to align said lower shelf with said stack supporting member, and finally moving said ram to transfer said prints from said two shelves to said supporting member in contacting stacked formation.

6. Print staciring mechanism comprising a vertically movable elevator having upper and lower shelves for supporting pluralities of prints, a conveyor having one end terminating immediately adjacent a first side of said elevator and capable of transferring pluralities of prints in a horizontal direction onto said shelves when said shelves are successively aligned with said conveyor, a stack supporting member closely spaced from a second side of said elevator and disposed at a higher level than said conveyor, a ram movable in a horizontal direction to displace pluralities of prints from said shelves onto said supporting member in contacting stacked formation when said lower shelf is aligned with said supporting member, a stationary stop member extending vertically at the level of said conveyor but short of said stack supporting member at the side of said elevator opposed to said first elevator side for terminating print movement across said shelves short of the shelf edges, and actuating means for said conveyor, said elevator and said ram for initially aligning said upper shelf with said conveyor, operating said conveyor for transferring a plurality of prints from said conveyor to said upper shelf aligned with said conveyor, rais ing said elevator to align said lower shelf with said conveyor, again operating said conveyor for transferring a plurality of prints from said conveyor to said 1ower shelf aligned with said conveyor, raising said elevator to align said lower shelf with said stack supporting member, and finally moving said ram to transfer said prints from said two shelves to said supporting member in contacting stacked formation.

EARL J. RAPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 823,051 Keyes -1 June 12, 1906 1,009,411 Heater Nov. 21, 1911 1,269,115 Reese June 11, 1913 1,453,767 Reese et al May 1, 1923 1,606,427 McClelland Nov. 9, 1926 2,020,552 Hills Nov. 12, 1935 

